Valve for magazines for picture films



Juiy 7, 1931. A. DINA 1,812,865

VALVE FOR MAGAZINES FOR PICTURE FILMS Filed Sept. 5, 25

IIILM l ENVENTOR fi w;

Patented July 7, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE .AUGUS-Ttl IOWA, F JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE PRECISION MA- GHINE (30., mo, OF NEW YQRK, N. Y., A CORPORATIGN 0F 1% EW YORK VALVE FOR MAGAZINES FOR PICTURE FILMS Application filed September 5, 1925. Serial No. 54,620.

The film roll for motion picture machines is mounted on a reel suitably journalled in a fireproof box or receptacle, commonly called a magazine, from which the picture film is fed at a predetermined rate of speed to the projecting machine. To reduce the fire hazard, the magazine is provided with a socalled valve which may comprise two rollers with which the film comes into contact and between which it passes. These rollers conduct. away heat and by so doing, operating on the principle of the Davy safety lamp, re-

duce the danger of fire passing into the magazine in case that portion of the film in the 1.5 projector should ignite fromthe heat of the projection lamp or for any other cause. The rollers are intended to substantially close the passageway into the magazine and thus further reduce the fire hazard.

The principal objects and advantages of my invention are to improve the construction of the magazine valve referred to, whereby to greatly further reduce the danger of fire traveling into the magazine; to provide,

therefore, an improved construction of the old type of valve which in addition to being more efilcient lessens the task of threading the film into the valve and is much less expensive to manufacture, certain machining operations being eliminated by the simplicity of its construction.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevational view showing the front of the device;

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view on the line 22 of Figure 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

Figure 3 is an end elevational view; Figure 4 is an elevational view of a modified form of the device with the back plate brokenv away;

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view along the line 55 of Figure 4 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view along the line 6-6 of Figure 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; and t Figure 7 is a plan view of the device of Figure 4.

Referring more particularly to the drawings and first to the form of theinvention shown in Figures 1 to 3, inclusive, 1 indicates a section of the cylindrical wall of a conventional film container commonly known as a magazine, this wall being provided with an opening 2 through which the film shown in dotted lines at 3 is adapted to pass.

- It has been customary in film magazines to provide a valve at the opening which serves at least a twofold purpose, that of substantially closing the entrance to the film magazine even when the film is passing through the opening, and thus excluding fire, or tending to quench fire in the event that the film strip becomes ignited, and, secondly, to guide and protect the film strip against making sharp angles which might tend to break or tear the strip.

My invention contemplates the provision of a film valve which will guide and protect the film and at the same time exclude fire or quench any fire which starts on the film, the device additionally affording guiding rollers which are adapted to engage directly the edges of the film strip and maintain the middle of the film strip, that is,the portion containing the pictures, from contact with the guiding means so as to prevent scoring or scratching of the images.

With these general objects in view, the invention as shown in Figure 1 includes a pair of distance or spacing block members, preferably castings, generally designated 1 and 5, said castings having curved wall portions 6 and 7, respectively, which are adapted to engage the cylindrical wall 1 and be secured in proper position thereon by the provision of screws 8 and 9, or the like, the blocks being disposed on either side of the opening 2. For convenience, the screws 9 may operate in slots (not shown) in the wall 1 which will permit of adjustment of the entire valve so as to align it centrally of the opening 2.

The spacing blocks include recesses 10, 11, 12 and 13, which are substantially semi-circular and serve to receive the guiding rollers to be hereinafter described. The blocks additionally are provided with opposed spaced faces let and 15 between which the film strip 3 is adapted to pass, the space between the surfaces 14 and 15 being relatively small, that is, but a slight amount greater than the thickness of the filmso that a throat is provided which tends to quench flame carried by the fil'm and which would otherwise pass along the film and up into the magazine, these surfaces 14 and thus affording a guide which is of such narrow proportions as to substantially exclude air in large quantities and thus effectively serve as a fire seal.

10 The recesses 10, 11, 12 and 13 are 0 posed at the inner and outer extremities of t e slot afforded by the distance blocks, and the recesses receive rollers 16, 17,18 and 19, the rollers 16 and 19 being complemental and the rollers 17 and 18 being complemental.

- As shown in Figure 2, the rollers are all substantially identical in construction and includes peripheries which are of different sizes,

. thatis, the intermediate surface 20 is of less 20 diameter than the end surfaces 21 and 22, and

as each of the rollers is provided with complemental surfaces 20, 21 and 22, a space intermediate the ends of the rollers is provided therebetween which permits the film to pass between the rollersfand in contact with the end'portions 21and 22 only; i

The rollers areprovided with trunnionsv 2323 and are maintained in position in their respective recesses for-rotation therein by I provision of a back plate 24 and front plates 25 and 26, said front and back plates being secured to the distance blocks 4 and 5 at a plurality of points, such, for instance, as by,

provision of the cap screws 27 and 28. Each of the plates 24, 25 and 26 is provided with suitable openings which register with the trunnlons 2323 and serve to revolubly sup- I port said rollers.

It will be understood by those skilled in the forcing walls 29 and 30, the wall 29 being provided with an opening 31. v l

- The walls 25 and 26 are provided with outer flanges 32 which render these 'walls rigid, and serve to receive bolts (not shown) for securing,the reel container to the housing of the projector mechanism.

It will be seen that in the film passing be tween the inner and outer pairs. of rollers, the portion of the film having images or printed matter thereon does not come in contact with the rollers and therefore does not become 1 scored or scratched by them. Furthermore, while the distance blocks guide the film in passing through the valve, the faces 14 and 15 15 do not actually come in contact with the that is, they do not extend to such a A gaging in said foot portions.

I eration of this form of the device and the form 1 and shape of the rollers is identical with that tionpicture machine, a film valve comprising film owing to the fact that, as shown in Figure 1 and inmodified form in Figure 3, these faces are substantially in alignment with the peripheries of the rollers and-more particularly in approximate tangential relationship with the smaller diameters. Referring now more particularly to th modified form of the invention shown in Figures 4 to 7 inclusive, it will be observed that the distance blocks are reduced in size, eat length along the face of the wall 1a so that the valve will not occupy as much space on the lower reel container. In an installation of the reel containers on the projector, the space for the valve is less on the lower container due to the fact thatthis valve must I extend up into the housing which contains the film feeding mechanism, and the form of the valve shown in Figures 4 to 7 is designed more particularly to accommodate this particular arrangement of the apparatus.

The device of Figures 4 to 7 includes the distance blocks 40 and 5a provided with opposed faces 6a and 7a in spaced relationshipto afford a slot for accommodating film strip 3. The blocks 4a and 5a are provided with complemental inner and outer recesses 8a, 9a, 10a and 11a for reception of'the rollers 12a, 13a, 14a and 15a, respectively.

The distance blocks are secured 'to the outer surface of the wall 1a by the provision of foot portions 33 and 34, respectively, and also screws 35 passing through the wall 1a and en- 100 Bear and front plates 36 and 37 are provided, the front plate being divided as at 38 toafford entrance of the film between the, rollers 12a, 13a, 14a and 15a. The plates are secured by cap screws 3939 and 40 -40 to the distance blocks, as best shown in Figures 5 and 6. v yTherollers are provided with trunnions 41-41 which set in suitable bearing openings in front and rear plates, and said rollers are disposed with their smaller diameters in substantially tangential relationship with the surfaces 6a and 7a. In all respects, the opof the form of the invention shown in Figures 1 to 3, inclusive, and a detailed descrip tion of the operation is therefore not necessar .l-l aving thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claim is new and dc sire to secure by Letters Patent isa 1. In a device of the character described, in combination with the magazine of a moi2 5 a plurality of rollers, two heat conducting distance blocks recessed to receive the rollers and to form a film chute, a back plate detachably secured to the distance blocks, two front platessimilarly secured to the distance blocks 130 and spaced apart so as to form a narrow slit registerin with the chute formed by the distance bloc s.

2. In a device of the character described, in combination with the film magazine of a motion picture machine, a valve comprising a plurality of rollers, removable heat conducting distance blocks encircling a substantial portion of the rollers and orming also a narrow chute through which the film passes, a back plate and two removable front plates to which the distance blocks and rollers are fastened.

3. In a device of the character described, in combination with the film magazine of a motion picture machine, having an opening therein, of' a valve for said opening including a plurality of spaced groups of rollers having portions of their faces substantially in contact and other portions of their faces in spaced relationship, heat conducting blocks encircling a substantial portion of said rollers and disposed bet-ween said groups, said blocks having plane oppositely disposed surfaces in spaced relationship to form a communicating slot between the groups of rollers of sub stantially the same dimension as the distance between the spaced portions of said rollers,

retaining platesfor said blocks, and rollers,

certain of said plates being spaced to afiord a slot to permit the introduction of a film between sald rollers without substantially axial displacement of the latter.

In testimony signed my name.

' AUGUSTO DINA.

whereof I have hereunto 

